Splinter Cell is Back… With Conviction!

E3 is no doubt an exciting time of year. Most gamers can and probably already have found a favorite game of the the show, from Modern Warfare 2 to Beatles: The Rock Band, this year’s E3 has surpassed the lackluster event of last year both in quality and quantity. I only say this to illustrate how much one would have to be impressed by a game for it to be a standout at the show. The stealth member of Tom Clancy’s family has returned, and he’s looking just as good, if not better than his two brothers Rainbow and Ghost (yeah, their parents pick terrible names).

Since the next generation of consoles were revealed, Splinter Cell fans have been waiting for a true next gen Sam Fisher experience. Yes, Double Agent was released near the start of the cycle in October 2006, but I believe it’s safe to say that it never brought anything truly new to the table. While that may not actually be a bad thing considering how great Chaos Theory was, the franchise was quite frankly getting a little bit stale.

A complete reboot is what was needed, and over 3 years after Double Agent, that’s exactly what we’re going to get.

Unfortunately for PS3 players, it was revealed at E3 that the newest Splinter Cell, sub-titled Conviction, will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. It was also revealed that it will be pretty awesome. What really got me about the trailer was how the story will be told. To keep the immersion intact, most minor story elements will be presented through what basically amounts to a projection on the wall. While not much is known about what the story will entail, it’s known that Sam Fisher is still rebounding from the death of his daughter, and is on a quest for revenge. He’s gone rogue, and is no longer bound by the rules of engagement.

Rest assured, this is the same Splinter Cell you know and love.

Seeing as he has no outside help (though it was hinted that Fisher would perhaps find allies later on), he must use the everyday tools at his disposal to be a true government trained killer. One fine example was the use of a car’s mirror to see underneath doors. The new “Mark and Execute” feature, which will allow you to mark various items and people in the environment which Fisher will then dispose of via his trusty hand gun, and the “Last Known Position” feature that will display where your enemies saw you most recently were also showcased.

With larger environments and more ways to approach them, Conviction looks to be a worthwhile overhaul to the franchise. All of the additions seem to work and fit, though it remains to be seen whether or not “Mark and Execute” can be used as an exploit. I like the idea of Sam Fisher on the run, and I like that this iteration allows (or at least appears to allow) for a less strictly stealth based approach to your missions. I don’t want to jump the gun, but I feel confident that Ubisoft can and will deliver this time around. Look for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (hopefully) on November 17th this year (that’s 2009 for those of you not keeping track at home, or those of you reading this from the future).